The Ship – Frances 26

Here is a little bit about Tula and the progression of her restoration.

First off Tula means “balance” in sanskrit, because everything needs to have balance, right? Especially a sailboat! She is a 1977 Victoria Frances 26′. Chuck Payne designed the Frances as a boat that would be small, easy to maintain but strong and comfortable enough for him to take to and from the Caribbean each winter. They were originally manufactured by Morris Yachts in Maine but after a few years Victoria Yachts took over hull production which is where Tula was born. According to the previous owner, the boat was sailed across the Atlantic ocean and up to the great lakes in upstate New York (not sure which lake though). The owner there was a carpenter and finished the inside of the cabin with a lot of woodwork and named her Robin after his daughter. After many years the boat was sold to a man from New York City. He kept her and sailed her in Bay Shore, NY and Fair Harbor over on Fire Island. Every year he and his wife would do a circumnavigation around Long Island. This owner eventually became t0o busy to use and maintain the boat and in about 2006 he signed over the title to the boat yard in Bay Shore where she was kept uncovered and unmaintained. I began to notice this perfect little cruising boat sitting in the boat yard summer after summer across the canal from where I park for work everyday. In October 2012 I purchased the boat for $800 and sailed/towed her to another yard in Sayville where I began to restore her. Here are a few before/during/after pictures of Tula.

To see the whole restoration album click here.

To see the whole restoration album click here.